what I'm making right now...

White beans are so pretty. They're like little champagne colored pearls and their texture is subtle, responsive, and sweet. They take on so many other flavors and even without being the star of the show, they shine.

It was 94 out today; sticky too. And a little uncomfortable even for a summer-lover like me. I was in the house all day, listening to the costly hum of the air conditioner as it bellowed softly through the vents knowing that outdoor activities would be replaced with those that made the most of indoor pleasures. As the cool air spilled out into onto my bare shoulders, I thought about how we're always trying to counteract wherever we are. If it's summer we long for winter, if it's dark, we want it to be light. If it's skinny and it lives next door...well you know. I was yearning for a chill.

You should see me when I'm hunting for something to make for dinner. I look like a confused mime as I purse my lips and stare slightly hunched into the dark chasm of my pantry. Guided only by a random sense of hunger, and of course the rotating urgency of vegetables unused in the fridge, I am in another world, imagining the tastes of colors that will end my creative coma. And soon, those little white beans snapped me back to reality. With the determination I set about to create my White Bean Veggie Chili with Kale, Topped with Fat Free Yogurt.

White Bean Vegetarian Chili with Kale

I'm doing my best to stay away from meat every night. Like a Swanson's Dinner Zombie, I am always imaging a plate with meat, veggie and starch, just like what I grew up with, and it's just not necessary. In fact, I have felt so good this last year since changing my entire eating and fitness cycle that meat is often the last thing I reach for. Chili is no exception. You don't need any dead cow in your bowl to feel like slapping your chaps and spinning your spurs.

And, I like my Chili hot. Lip singing hot. As you read the ingredients you may decide that you want to amp up your chili or take it down a bit by using a milder version of Schilling Chili Mix. If you're a four alarm kind of cook, I might even suggest adding some beautiful yellow habaneros with a Scoville Heat Index from 150,000 to 350,000. If you're literally out of your mind, try adding what's called a Ghost Pepper and summon the whole fire department with a Scoville Heat Index of over 1,000,000. (Insert a "don't be dumb and rub you eyes after touching these," disclaimer here.) Whatever you choose, enjoy the flavors of this colorful and satisfying bowl of yum.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 T olive oil

1/2 red pepper diced

2 large celery stalks diced

1/2 large yellow sweet onion diced

2 medium carrots diced

2 large cloves of garlic finely chopped1 C Kale chopped

1/2 t whole dried oregano

1 1/2 C Vegetable broth, low sodium

1 package Schilling HOT Chili seasoning packet

2 cans white northern beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can diced tomatoes, low sodium, not flavored

1 1/2 t salt and 1 t pepper

2 T red wine vinegar

Plain non-fat Greek yogurt

Celery leaves for garnish

DIRECTIONS:Heat a large dutch oven, add olive oil. Add vegetables and saute until onions are transparent. (NOTE: All of these veggies together should make about 3 cups of veggies.) Add garlic and stir for about a minute until fragrant. Add some of the salt and pepper like you would if you were just seasoning the veggies. Add all the canned ingredients, along with all the liquid in the cans. Add the chili seasoning packet and the oregano. Simmer uncovered on medium low for about 35 minutes. Stir often. Now, add chopped kale and vinegar and check to see if it needs salt. Since we're using so many low sodium options, you will find salt and pepper fine tuning is necessary. Simmer for another 15 minutes on low. Serve with a dollop of yogurt and a sprig of celery leaves. Can also garnish with a bit of very, very finely chopped ribbons of kale on the top of a little more color. Serve with your favorite crusty bread.

It was the first sunny day we'd had in over three weeks, and even with the sweltering humidity, I was glad to see the sun bathe us all in a little golden light. I reached for a dark red ripe cherry as I watched the afternoon shadows burn hot and moist into the sidewalk, and as the fruit burst in my mouth I knew I wanted to get to work making it shine in a new creation. Soon it was the star of the show, becoming quite literally POW on a plate.

It was girlfriend night and the three of us agreed that meeting for dinner, even if it was over take-out pizza, was the perfect way to end a sunny Tuesday. There's nothing real special about Tuesday's; they're not hump day, they're far from the weekend, and they're not imprinted with the overwhelming confusion of Monday, so why not meet and laugh a little over a good meal?

To start with, I knew I wanted to add a little heat to the mix, so out came the jalapenos and some white onion. My mint beckoned next for flavor and a garnish. The cherries always look good against something green and crisp so I pulled out the celery and a nice firm cucumber. You'll find that each of these flavors meld very well and each bite is refreshing and acidic with a hint of sweetness. I was pleased that nothing overpowered any other flavor and it might benefit from a pinch of ground coriander or a sprinkling of sesame seeds. In any event. This was a winner.

Since starting this website, I am realizing how many recipes I have created that have been lost to the ages. My husband, when trying the first bite of a new dish, always asks, "Did you write this down, or will I never have it again?" A sobering and fair question because for the most part I didn't write them down. All that kitchen genius fluttering around the universe. But then I realized that's kind of what I'm doing now with ifeellikecooking.com every time I post an idea or share a photo. Isn't it?

When i thought that way I got even more excited about this venture. And because I'm such a huge fan of karma, I decided to cull through my homemade scrapbooks of recipes that I've been collecting and creating over the last 20 years to see what I could transfer to digital eternity. Four volumes in all now, they consist of recipes I find/found in newspapers, magazines, from friends, the internet, and of course my little culineering noggin. They represent wonderful times with my kids, reminded me of new homes, hard times, celebrations, and discoveries. I was pleased to see that there were at least 25 or more that I had penned and kept, even if they are scribbled and oddly recorded. I'm happy to say the scribing is coming along nicely as I transfer the contents, as logically as possible, to Word docs, and then eventually, to this website.

Good news. I have just uploaded about a dozen or more new recipes that date from 1996 to present and I'm still going. But if you're interested in a little nostalgia (note the photos above from the inside of one of my cookbooks started in 1999) just browse the following new recipes:

You understand that for every success in cooking there are sinks, trash cans, and recycling bins teeming with the fallout from horrible mistakes. That's why most cooks go so ga-ga when something you've created, comes out as good, or BETTER than you imagined.

That's what happened with this dish.

As you may recall, inspiration often happens in the aisles of a grocery store, and it can be compounded by something you buy for another recipe and then see it in a new light later on. Bring on the pitted dates that looked like they felt sad I had passed them over for an another appetizer choice the other day. "Gosh, we really thought you'd fill us with cheese and lace us with herbs and let us tickle the palate of your friends." They bemoaned. So I decided late yesterday to make them the star of what would have been an ordinary meal had I left them in the pantry to whine.

Take a look at this easy and exciting recipe combining some ready made ingredients and a some happy accidents.

Moroccan Inspired Brown Rice Medley

There was only a little bit left. Just a remnant of the beautiful, brown and rounded kernels inside the Trader Joe's brown ride medley package. It would have to be stretched to feed all four of us and I would have to time everything perfectly since this rice seems to be very moody about when it's done. Wait! If I also cook it afterwards with the other ingredients; a kind of post steaming risotto-like finishing, I could make room for mistakes and still look like I knew what I was doing. With each addition coming in waves of imagination I decided first to let the dates be my guide.

"Chop 'em small, Katie." I directed. And my daughter, @katiepappas, and cook in training joined in as we prepared our meal together. With all the elements staged and in place, we set the timer on the rice, now simmering away in the vegetable stock, and sat outside to muse over the very wet and muggy weather we'd endured for almost 3 weeks. When Ron, my husband found us on the deck, we confidently told him to start the grill and retrieve the marinating chops from the fridge.

"How long before dinner?"

He asks me that all the time, and after 26 years together he might know when I'm bluffing, but I rallied and promised with fingers crossed, "about 10 minutes." And he left to avoid the lightening bolt that would certainly sever my growing nose after telling this bold faced lie.

When I got into the kitchen to look at the rice and move to pretend step 2, I was horrified, because after 35 minutes simmering, at least 1/3 a cup of the liquid still remained. I turned it up to a rolling boil for about 3 minutes, and then decided it was time to mask my success with intuition.

"Open that Moscato. I think we can save this." I promised. Who knew what I genius I would turn out to be. (That's code for, "thank goodness I won't have to sleep in the basement after my dismal failure.")

Check out below how cool it all turned out.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup plus a teaspoon or so of Trader Joe's Brown Rice Medley. (If you didn't read the whole blog entry you won't understand why this measurement is so whacked.)

2 1/4 C Vegetable Stock (I just used the boring Swansons, but I think it's mildness was a good choice.)

2 T toasted pine nuts

1/2 C small pitted dates chopped finely

3 canned pineapple rings cut small

1/3 C pineapple juice reserved after you take out the 3 pineapple rings

1/2 large shallot, finely minced

1 T fresh mint, finely chopped

1/8 t cumin powder

1/8 t cinnamon powder

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/2 t dried parsley

2 T olive oil

1/2 C plus a bit more sweet white wine. I used Moscato. If you don't want to use wine, use a cooking sherry. And if that's not good either, you can use more stock, but in that case I'd use a very good quality vegetable stock for flavor.

Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:Put rice in liquid, bring to boil, cover and simmer on low for 35 to 40 minutes (If you want it all the way done I'm guessing it's about 50 minutes, but that takes the fun out of it.)While the rice is simmering, chop the dates and the pineapple and put in a measuring cup and cover with the pineapple juice. Chop the rest of the ingredients and stage the spices. Including some salt and pepper. After the 35 minutes for the rice, when you open the lid you should still see liquid in the pan. Boil for two minutes, then drain. Heat a large saute pan and add the olive oil. Add the shallots and cook for 1 minute on medium. Then add the dates, juice and pineapple. Stir. Then add the rice. Toss a bit to incorporate then add all the spices but not the mint. That's last. Now, as it begins to sizzle, add the wine a few tablespoons at a time and stir. In a couple of minutes, you'll see that the wine is absorbed so you'll want to add a bit more and stir. Watch how the rice begins to plump and moisten and you can smell the divine smell of the cinnamon and cumin fill the air. I ended up adding wine 4 times total. By now the pineapple is beginning to look more transparent, too. Keep adding until everything is heated through, and still moist. Keep adding wine with a total cooking time of about 5 to 6 minutes. Then remove from heat, add the mint, and check to see if it needs more salt. It probably will. Take it easy on the pepper. Only a bit is need to wake it up. Put a lid on and keep warm until ready to plate.

Serve, give your guests a big fork, and wait for the compliments to come pouring in.

Holidays are for relaxing and avoiding all things harried, but the prospect of having a day where you don’t have to do anything, leaves one poised in front of the stove, salivating over a recipe just waiting to be unlocked. “Don’t go to too much trouble.” My host says over email. “Just a simple appetizer and dessert are fine.” These words are of course bellow to the fire of creativity. You can’t wait to begin!

Below are the two recipes I created for our Holiday. Sweet Corn Muffins Stuffed with Berries and Anise Orange Glaze, and Red Grape Relish with Goat Cheese over Toasted French Bread.

Additional menu items:

Fig and Arugula Stuffed Prosciutto courtesy Sue

Zucchini and Onion Flatbread courtesy Vicky

Sweet Corn Muffins Stuffed with Berries with Anise Orange Glaze

This recipe was inspired by one from Cooking Light which used strawberries and strawberry preserves and whipped cream. I switched up the fruit by making it with a cooked compote, and moistening the batter, and added a kick to a glaze for topping.

GLAZE:2 C powdered confectioners sugar1 tsp anise flavored liquor (can use orange liquor or amaretto if desired or add orange juice)2 Tbsp salted butterpinch of saltmilk to make into the consistency of glaze

(You can top with toasted slivered almonds if desired, especially if you opted for amaretto or almond flavoring in glaze.)

INSTRUCTIONS:Put berries in a pan with sugar and lemon juice. Cook on medium low heat until a syrup begins to form and mixture is bubbling. Let cook for 5 minutes. Take off heat and add corn starch and whisk back on medium heat until it begins to thicken. You don't want it too thick, just a pretty consistency for cascading over your muffins when you plate the dessert. Cover with plastic and set aside.

Now. Preheat oven to temperature as recommended on box. To begin, grease a 12 cut muffin pan and set aside. Follow instructions on muffin mix pan and add all the ingredients for the muffins as shown on box, then add the extra ingredients I show, and place in tins, not more than half full. When muffins are about 4-5 minutes shy of being done, but you can see they've raised in the oven but still a little wet looking on top, take them out and gently bump a small indentation in each. Add 1 T of fruit mixture to each muffin then return to the oven for the remaining 3 or minutes. Corn muffins get dry and because this is a dessert you don't want to overdo the cooking at all. When finished, take out and cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a deep cake pan so you can cool them for later. (I was transporting them to a friend's home and this worked well.)

Now, whisk together your glaze ingredients and taste to make sure it's not overly sweet. Add a pinch of salt if needed.

To plate, put one muffin in center of dessert plate, add 1/4 C of the berries so they cascade down each side. Then drizzle glaze over the top. Sprinkle with nuts if desired and serve immediately. They would be best warm but we liked them after being cooled. You will have to be the judge.

Red Grape Relish Appetizer with Goat Cheese on Toasted French Bread

My friend Debbie, when tasting these, declared, "This is the best thing I've ever eaten made with red grapes." Surely she had forgotten about a good glass of wine, but I basked in the momentary glow of uniqueness and vowed to share this recipe with you. This was inspired by a recipe from Food and Wine. I changed these only slightly by using just red grapes and not adding black and green grapes to the mix. I also included fig balsamic vinegar and served with goat cheese instead of mascarpone cheese. Plus I did toast rounds instead of ciabatta bread.

Cut a loaf of french bread into 1/2 inch slices, brush with fine olive oil. I used a grassy version and it was perfect. Place under broiler until toasted. Set aside. Assemble relish. Place in bowl surrounded by toasts and the cheese with spreader. Stack, spread and much! YUM!!!

(Note, this IS better nice and chilled so you may want to make the bread last because it's better warm out of the oven!)

Yeah, you're saying, "whine, whine, whine. What could be so hard about making pizza." Well, nothing is hard, really, but there are a few details here and there that are rites of passage. And last night, because of two wonderful friends and a husband who agreed to do the dishes, we have a couple of stories to tell and photos to share.

We started this a few months ago; gathering innocently enough to make a slew of Turkish recipes courtesy Margaret Rossetti and her recent trip to the cradle of civilization, and now we're hooked on mastering some of the simple but important culinary techniques we haven't, well, mastered. A pizza seemed like a tame conquest. But wait until you scatter a bit of corn meal on a 500 degree pizza stone, without protective eye wear, and you will get a feeling for the ups and downs of dough, determination, and deliciousness.

It started with the basics: bring dough (some from Fresh Market, some from Trader Joe's...gotta say Fresh Market's dough is hand's down easier to work with and roll out), and the fresh fixings of our choice. When you're cooking at Margaret's there is no, "good enough." So our pizza sauce, olive oil, and accoutrements including the pizza peels, were all top notch. I encourage you not to skimp on any of these details.

As I arrived with my bread board and my grandmother's rolling pin in hand, we wasted no time before beginning on appetizers. Delving into a lovely group of zucchini, we began by slicing them lengthwise, then grilling, then cooling them, and rolling them up with a filling of feta, olive oil, lemon and fresh herbs. We topped them with lemon zest and ate them for energy. (You'll see the photos and I will get a copy of the recipe to acknowledge and share). It was a good way to warm up to the main course.

Now preparing the toppings is just plain fun. From funky mushrooms to whole milk mozzarella, to spinach and herbs from the garden and gigantic summer tomatoes, all that was missing was a bit of Italian music and local red wine. (We quickly found a CD with a bit of Andrea Bocelli so all was not lost!) Even rolling out the dough was pretty easy. We topped it with a layer of olive oil and a layer of the finest pizza sauce and then stacked away with all the pretty stuff. You can omit the sauce and add ANY TOPPING YOU WOULD LIKE. We especially moaned with pleasure over the addition of macerated fresh garlic. Now that is the BOMB.

However, the fun waned a bit when it was time to cook them. Why? Well, when it was time to schlep our pies into the oven, we underestimated how tricky it is to slide it off the peel or the board and into the oven. (We later learned that you use corn meal like water when it comes to greasing the pathway. We got the hang of it by the 4th pie!) Oh well. That's when you get out the pizza cutter and simple pre-slice and serve. No one need know you inverted a good half of the first pie onto the stone nearly blinding us with smoke and enlisting a "what's burning?" from the peanut gallery in the next room. "Everything is fine, drink your wine." we shouted, and sure enough, after 9 to 12 minutes we were in cheesy, herby, tomatoey, meaty and crusty heaven.

WINE: Just so you know, we served it with a Layer Cake Primitivo Zinfandel. Transcendent...

Meet the Cook...

My name is Camine Pappas and I love to create beautiful and delicious food that anyone can make. My signature style centers around a love for combining things in a way you might not expect as I work to find a hidden combination of colors, textures and flavors from the things that are in my pantry and/or easy to obtain.

Want to get spontaneous with me? It's pretty exciting. Let's all find out what happens when, "I Feel Like Cooking."